Ride with the tide

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PORTS of call

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System (PORTS) program is in operation at the following locations:

Anchorage, Alaska

Chesapeake Bay

Delaware River and Bay

Houston/Galveston, Texas

Los Angeles/Long Beach, Calif.

Lower Columbia River Mobile Bay, Ala.

Narragansett Bay, R.I.

New Haven, Conn.

New York/New Jersey Harbor

San Francisco Bay

Soo Locks, Mich.

Tacoma, Wash.

Tampa Bay, Fla.

Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Any port in a storm? In a pinch, sure. But, particularly in astorm, not all ports are equally safe. Any sailor worth his saltwould advise you to favor one supported by the PhysicalOceanographic Real-Time System program.

Developed by the National Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministration, PORTS provides real-time oceanographic andmeteorological data that can make the difference between smoothsailing and running aground or crashing into a bridge. With theaddition in December of the Port of Mobile, Ala., PORTS isoperating at 14 locations nationwide with more additionsplanned.

Specifically, PORTS measures, integrates and disseminatesobservations of water levels, currents, salinity, wind and bridgeclearance from 50 sensors. The data is updated every six minutesand can be received by mariners ' or anyone else ' viacell phone or Web browser.

Based on the PORTS information, a ship's pilot can decideto delay entering or leaving a port. Alternatively, a ship'smaster could decide that the ship could take on extra cargo ifthere is, say, an unusually high tide. The information not onlyaffects safety but also can significantly impact the bottom line' for cargo carriers, port authorities, first responders andothers.

Born of disaster

Darren Wright, NOAA's program manager for PORTS, said theprogram came about as a result of the Tampa Bay, Fla., SunshineSkyway Bridge disaster in 1980. The southbound span of the bridgewas destroyed when a freighter collided with a support columnduring a storm, sending vehicles into the water and killing 35people.

'After that happened, it was determined the current pushedthe tanker into the bridge,' Wright said. 'If we hadsome real-time current information that may well have helped avoidthe problem. Since we had some of the equipment that was necessaryfor the information they were looking for, we designed a systemin-house to provide real-time information that the mariners coulduse to avoid groundings and to promote efficient and safenavigation.'

The first PORTS system was installed at Tampa in 1991.

PORTS was developed from the start to be a partnership betweenNOAA and the local port authority. NOAA delivers the expertise,data management and ongoing support, and the local port authorityprovides funding for the equipment and maintenance of thesystem.

In its first incarnation, PORTS data was accessed via directdial-up to the PORTS database.

Shortly thereafter, a voice system was added that allowed usersto call in for information.

'There's too much data to transmit over thesatellite in the windows that we're allowed to use, so the IPmodem is the primary method,' Wright said. PORTS has accessto the satellite only in one-minute blocks, and because thetransmission rate is only 1,200 bits/sec, the satellite cannotdeliver the data flow required for PORTS' near-real-timesystem.

Wright added that where the signal is not sufficient for IPmodem use, radio transmitters get the data to a working IPmodem.

Approximately 769M of decoded data is processed per day tosupport the 14 participating ports.

Paying off

PORTS has already earned high marks from users ' andaccountants.

'We have been exceptionally pleased with it,' saidJames Lyons, director and chief executive officer at the Port ofMobile. 'It's very, very valuable information. We run alot of deep-draft vessels in and out of here. It has been giving usinvaluable information on the timing of arriving and sailingvessels from a safety standpoint. Having that accurate informationalso enables ships to put on just a little bit more cargo if we dohave a good positive tide.'

Number crunchers agree. In two studies on the economic benefitsof PORTS, analysts for the port authorities found that the systemsaves as much as $7 million per year for Tampa and as much as $16million per year for the Houston-Galveston port. The savingsinclude money not spent responding to such incidents as groundings,collisions and hazardous spills, in addition to shortened waittimes for ships and the ability to load more cargo.

One report found just one additional foot of available draftallows crews to load enough additional cargo to generate between$36,000 and $288,000 in increased profit per trip.

Although the Port of Mobile has not yet formally studiedsavings, 'cost/benefit-wise, I think it's well, wellworth it,' Lyons said. Data from the system has led portofficials to hold off on allowing entry for a ship that might havehit bottom and allow entry for a ship they might have otherwisemade wait for several hours. 'I'm a big fan ofit,' he said.

Lyons said the port spent $400,000 setting up the system, and heestimates it costs about $100,000 a year to maintain.'That's pretty minimal when you consider the benefits.It's a real outstanding effort that NOAA has put forth. Theyought to have them everywhere.'

Coming soon

Wright said there are plans to bring an additional six portsinto the system during the next year.

And NOAA is looking to improve PORTS as it expands, startingwith data delivery. First, Wright said, program officials arelooking at alternative transmission media. Negotiations are underway to provide access to the Iridium network of satellites, whichwould allow direct transmissions from some remote sensors to thesatellite. Wright said the program also is looking for ways toreduce message sizes. All these efforts are directed at increasingthe amount of data that can be provided to mariners in as close toreal time as possible.

NOAA also is working to provide access to PORTS through theCoast Guard's Automatic Identification System. 'Theyuse it in their vessel traffic service centers to monitor where allthe vessels are,' Wright said. 'In addition to justmonitoring, the data is transmitted out to all vessels in the area,and vessels that are equipped with an AIS receiver can also seewhere all the other vessels are. It's really used for safetyof navigation, so everyone knows where everybody is. We'reworking with the Coast Guard to get our PORTS data sent to theCoast Guard, and they are going to broadcast it out to the allvessels in that area.'

Lyons has another suggestion for improving PORTS. 'Aboutthe only thing it doesn't have that we would love to have isa wave height indicator,' he said. 'We hope thatthey're going to find a way to include that in the system inthe future. It would be useful to have, offshore, a wave heightindicator so that the pilots can more accurately determine at whatpoint they need to quit boarding where it's not safe.

'Secondly,' he added, 'we do a lot ofintercoastal traffic going over to Mississippi Sound as well asover into the eastern Gulf and the coastal waterway over towardPensacola, [Fla.], where wave height can make a difference forinland barges ' transiting. Sometimes maybe they'reholding back when they don't have to.' ■